Street car sign



June 30, 1931. KLUG 1,812,344

STREET on sun Filed Nov. so, 1925 I w r I II Patented June 30, 1931.

KARL KLUG, DEV-BROOKLYN, JNEW YORK STREET can SIGN.

Application fil ed November 30, 19 28. Serial No. 322,766.

This invention relates to signs and more particularly to apparatus for automatically displaying signs on street cars.

As is well known, it is usually the duty of street car attendants to call out the various streets which the car crosses during its journey. During the rush hours iitis very inconvenient, and often impossible for the attendant to give his attention to his more important duties and at the same time call out the various streets. 7

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for automatically displaying the name of the street which the car will next cross, and also the name of the next two succeeding streets. 1 It is a further object of the invention to provide an automatic sign apparatus which may readily be installed in the standard street car without material alteration;

These and other objects are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings constituting a material part of this disclosure and in which: I c

Figure 1 is a plan view of the sign apparatus.

Figure 2 is a view taken on line 2.2 of Fig. 1. 1 r

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring connections.

Fig. ft shows inside elevation and section on line A.A. respectively the construction of the solenoid in detail.

Referring to Figure 1, a casing 3 is provided with a front wall 4 having an aperture 5, which is coveredby a transparent glass ans 6.

Rotatably mounted on a side wall of the casing are a pair of pulleys 7 and 8, over which pass a strip 9, upon which is mounted a plurality of stencilled signs, such as shown at 10, 11 and 12, the last mentioned signs as shown, being visible through the/aperture 5.

i Sign 11 may show the next street to be crossed, while signs 10 and 12 may show the two adjacent streets. t

The strip 9 hasitsends attachedjto drums 13' and 17 the strip being wound or unwound discs.

from the drums depending upon the direction in which the car is traveling. 7

Drum13 is fixed to a shaft 14, to which is fixed a disc 15 having a plurality of laterally projecting pins 16 nearits periphery; The drum 17 is similarly mounted on a shaft 18, to which isfixed a similar disc 19 also provided with laterally projecting pins 20.

Fixed to shaft 18 is a ratchet wheel 21 engaged by a pawl 22 forming one arm of'a piv- I oted'lever 23, the latter'being connected by alink' 24 to a lever 25, having a pawl26 on one end, the pawl 26 engaging a ratchet wheel 27 fixed to shaft 14. The teeth of ratchet wheel 27'are reversely directed to the teeth 7 on wheel 21.

A dog 28 lies in the path of pins 16,the lug being freelymovable in a clockwise direction but limited in movement in a coimter-clockwise-direction by the end of a slot 29 in a casing having a solenoid -30 wound there about for giving the core its initial movement to bring the same into the sphere of influence of electromagnet 32 or'33.

The dog 28 is pivoted to an arm 31' of a plunger 31 slidable in the solenoid casing, and adapted to be'attracted by either of two electromagnets 32 and 33 mounted on the walls of casing 3, the solenoids of the magnets being energized at the proper times by electrical connections under the control of themo-torman of the'street car. v

A similar-structure including a dog 34, plunger 35 and electromagnets 36, 37 is provided for the drum 17. Dogs 28 and 34: are each provided with a shoulder allowing the swinging of the dogs in one direction only i. e.'- a direction to turn of their respective In operation, when the motorman desires to shift the signs the solenoid 32 is energized to pull the plunger 31 towards it, which movement of the plunger causes the dog 28 to rotate the disc 15 by bearing against one of the pins 16, at thesame time pawl 26 is cammed upwards to cause the lever arm 25 to move in a downward direction to release pawl 22 from engagement with ratchet wheel 21, thus 'allowing'the strip to be unwound from the drums 17 and wound upon the drum 13. The

strip is thus moved a suificientdistance to indicate the desired street, and inasmuch as it is customary fora motorman to throw ofi his motor upon approaching each street cross ing, electrical connections may be provided so that the apparatus will'be operated whenever, the motorman disconnects the motor when approaching a street crossing. The plunger 31 is returned to its initial position by the pull of electromagnet 33- which is energized by a separate connection when: the'mo tor is thrown into operation again.

When the end of the line has been reached the apparatus is reversed so that the strip 7 5 will. bewound upon drum 17 and unwound from drum 13.

From the above description it will be seen that there has been? provided a simple and s convenient sign apparatus especially adapted for indicating thestreets traversed by a street car; during its travel. I V The foregoingdisclosure isto be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only, and not I as restrictiveand limitativeof' the invention,

of which obviously an embodiment may be constructed including many modifications without departing from the general scope herein indicated and denoted in the appended claims, y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is: 1

1; Ami-apparatus for; indicating streets crossed by astreet car, comprising a casing,

a strip, a pair of drums to which the ends of the strip are attached, a-plurality of signs onfthe strip, a pair of shafts to which the drums: are fixed,rratchet wheels fixed to the shafts, discs fixed to the shafts, said discs n 40 having a plurality of laterally projecting pins, pawls engaging theratchet wheels, dogs adapted to engage the pins on the discs to rotate-"the latter and electromagnetic means to move the dogs in one direction.

2. In a sign apparatus,a drum, a strip having one end attached tothe drum, a shaft upon which the drum'is fixedly mounted, a disc fixed to the'shaft, a pluralityof-pins proje cting'laterally from the disc," a dog adapted to engage the pins,v a plunger upon whichthe dog is pivotally mounted, a second drum 'to which the other end of the stripis attached. a pawl and ratchet meanscto pre-. vent accidental rotation of the drums, and

electromagnetic means to pull the plungerin I one direction to cause the dog to rotate the disc anddisengage the pawl and ratchet means .so that the strip may be wound upon the first mentioned drum. f

In: witness whereof I aflix my signature.

o w KARL KLUG.' 

